Benzinga · Oct 14, 2026
UnitedHealth Analysts Slash Their Forecasts Following Q3 Results
UnitedHealth beats Q3 estimates and raises 2026 earnings guidance; shares rise 3%, while analysts trim price targets.
NASDAQ · UNH
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INCORPORATED (Delaware)
Healthcare · Medical - Healthcare Plans
$377.76
Up+$12.75 (+3.37%)
Updated Oct 14, 2026, 5:17 PM
SID Score
7.1/10
Composite research score
Smart Money
36/100
Bearish
- Market cap
- 305B
- P/E ratio
- 17.38
- Dividend yield
- 2.31%
- 52-week range
- $255.97 – $461.62
- Volume
- 12.65M
- Avg. volume
- 8.77M
Price performance · UNH
UNH price history
1M range · 21 trading sessions · Daily adjusted prices
Prices through Oct 13, 2026
UNH closed at $377.76 after 21 trading sessions, up 0.49% for the selected period.
- Last close
- $377.76
- Period change
- +0.49%
- Period low
- $365.20
- Period high
- $379.30
Daily close
View OHLC price history
| Date | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2026 | $397.625 | $399.88 | $372.80 | $377.76 | 12.65M |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $382.98 | $382.98 | $373.67 | $378.52 | 5.91M |
| Oct 9, 2026 | $373.94 | $387.52 | $373.02 | $379.30 | 7.47M |
| Oct 8, 2026 | $375.38 | $376.45 | $368.50 | $370.95 | 7.29M |
| Oct 7, 2026 | $375.92 | $383.48 | $372.01 | $375.98 | 5.63M |
| Oct 6, 2026 | $379.03 | $380.41 | $373.70 | $376.32 | 5.04M |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $372.33 | $379.14 | $368.0501 | $378.58 | 5.83M |
| Oct 2, 2026 | $365.14 | $372.68 | $364.47 | $371.90 | 3.31M |
| Oct 1, 2026 | $367.99 | $371.86 | $362.60 | $365.20 | 3.94M |
| Sep 30, 2026 | $374.93 | $374.93 | $365.72 | $367.08 | 4.79M |
| Sep 29, 2026 | $374.88 | $376.59 | $371.33 | $374.94 | 3.29M |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $376.36 | $380.98 | $374.56 | $377.83 | 4.68M |
| Sep 25, 2026 | $375.95 | $379.17 | $371.17 | $376.59 | 4.08M |
| Sep 24, 2026 | $371.92 | $375.28 | $368.501 | $375.01 | 4.65M |
| Sep 23, 2026 | $370.89 | $372.61 | $366.00 | $371.29 | 3.86M |
| Sep 22, 2026 | $381.39 | $381.39 | $372.41 | $372.95 | 4.5M |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $377.87 | $378.95 | $373.82 | $377.56 | 5.71M |
| Sep 18, 2026 | $375.29 | $378.49 | $372.42 | $376.90 | 8.62M |
| Sep 17, 2026 | $376.45 | $380.50 | $374.20 | $375.21 | 4.84M |
| Sep 16, 2026 | $375.90 | $380.22 | $373.63 | $375.26 | 4.42M |
| Sep 15, 2026 | $383.55 | $383.80 | $375.50 | $375.93 | 4.39M |
Latest UNH news
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning UNH.
Stock researchCompany · Overview
Company
Market Activity
Research & News
UNH research
Overview
Company profile and research snapshot.
Company profile
UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers and provides medical benefits to about 51 million members globally, including 1 million outside the US as of December 2024. As a leader in employer-sponsored, self-directed, and government-backed insurance plans, UnitedHealth has obtained massive scale in medical insurance. Along with its insurance assets, UnitedHealth's Optum franchises help create a healthcare services colossus that spans everything from pharmaceutical benefits to providing outpatient care and analytics to both affiliated and third-party customers.
Visit company websiteAnalyst outlook
Consensus and target data currently published for this company.
- Consensus
- Buy
- Average target
- $387.80
- Implied upside
- —
- Analysts
- 21
| Date | Firm | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2026 | TD Cowen | Hold | — |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Mizuho | Outperform | — |
| Jul 21, 2026 | JP Morgan | Overweight | — |
| Jul 20, 2026 | Barclays | Overweight | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | RBC Capital | Outperform | — |
News briefing
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Benzinga · Oct 14, 2026
Barclays Maintains Overweight on UnitedHealth Group, Lowers Price Target to $440
Barclays analyst Andrew Mok maintains UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) with a Overweight and lowers the price target from $441 to $440.
Yahoo · Oct 14, 2026
UnitedHealth Stock Rallies After Q3 Profit And Revenue Beat
Key Stats for UnitedHealth StockPrice change for UnitedHealth stock in the last 6 months: 20%$UNH Stock Price as of Oct. 13: $37852-Week High: $462$UNH Stock Price Target: $481What Happened?UnitedHealth Group (UNH:NYSE) beat Wall Street estimates for Q3 on Tuesday and raised its annual profit outlook.
Benzinga · Oct 14, 2026
Baird Maintains Neutral on UnitedHealth Group, Lowers Price Target to $427
Baird analyst Michael Ha maintains UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) with a Neutral and lowers the price target from $453 to $427.
AI research layers
Interpretive context generated from the platform’s current data sources.
UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance
UnitedHealth Group shares traded at $377.76, declining 1.02% in the most recent session, per SID market data. The stock has experienced notable weakness over the trailing three-month period, falling 10.98%, though it maintains a positive one-year return of 15.55%. Technically, UNH trades below its 50-day moving average of $388.46 but remains above its 200-day moving average of $351.81, according to Massive/Polygon data. This positioning suggests the stock is in a near-term pullback within a broader uptrend. The 14-day relative strength index reads 55.5, indicating neutral momentum without overbought or oversold conditions. UNH carries a beta of 0.432, reflecting significantly lower volatility than the broader market. Average daily trading volume stands at approximately 8.77 million shares, supporting strong liquidity. The company's market capitalization is approximately $305 billion, positioning it as one of the largest healthcare companies globally.
UnitedHealth Group Valuation Analysis
UnitedHealth Group currently trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, per SID market data, which positions the company at a moderate valuation relative to the broader healthcare sector. The price-to-book ratio stands at 3.19, according to SEC filings, reflecting a premium to book value consistent with the company's strong return-on-equity profile and market dominance. The PEG ratio registers at negative 1.02, which signals a disconnect in forward growth estimates that warrants monitoring. UNH offers a dividend yield of 2.59%, providing meaningful income for shareholders at current price levels. With a market capitalization of approximately $305 billion, the company remains the largest publicly traded health insurer. The valuation metrics collectively suggest UNH trades at levels that reflect its earnings power and scale within managed care, while the negative PEG ratio introduces a point of analytical consideration regarding projected growth trajectories.
Smart Money Activity for UNH
UnitedHealth Group registers a composite smart money score of 36 out of 100, generating a bearish signal according to SID market data. The score reflects a notable divergence across tracking categories. Institutional positioning scores a perfect 25 out of 25, indicating maximum confidence from large fund managers per 13F institutional filings. However, insider activity scores 0 out of 25 despite 20 insider transactions recorded over the past 90 days — all of which were purchases with zero sells, per SEC Form 4 filings. This all-buy insider pattern typically signals internal confidence, though the scoring model weighs additional factors. Dark pool activity contributes a modest 5.2 out of 25, suggesting limited off-exchange accumulation at current levels. Congressional trading activity scores 6.2 out of 25, reflecting minimal legislative interest. The contrast between strong institutional conviction and the overall bearish composite score creates an analytically complex picture that investors should evaluate within the context of each sub-component's methodology.
UnitedHealth Group Earnings Outlook
UnitedHealth Group has delivered consistent earnings beats across its three most recent reported quarters, according to company earnings reports. In the most recent quarter ending April 2026, UNH posted earnings per share of $7.23 against a consensus estimate of $6.56, representing a positive surprise of $0.67. The July 2026 quarter produced the largest beat, with actual EPS of $6.38 versus the $4.85 estimate, a $1.53 upside surprise. The October 2026 quarter reported EPS of $4.69 compared to estimates of $4.14, a $0.55 beat. Looking ahead, the next earnings report is scheduled for October 27, 2026, with analyst estimates currently projecting EPS of $4.14. The pattern of outperformance has been significant, with the three reported quarters averaging a positive surprise of approximately $0.92 per share. These results demonstrate the company's ability to consistently exceed Wall Street expectations across varying quarters.
Wall Street Analyst Ratings for UNH
Wall Street consensus on UnitedHealth Group remains predominantly constructive, per SID consensus data. Among the five most recent analyst actions, four maintain bullish ratings while one holds a neutral stance. TD Cowen reiterated a Hold rating on October 9, 2026, representing the lone non-bullish view among recent coverage updates. Mizuho and JP Morgan both reaffirmed positive ratings on July 21, 2026, maintaining Outperform and Overweight designations respectively, according to Wall Street analyst reports. Barclays reiterated its Overweight rating on July 20, 2026, while RBC Capital maintained Outperform on July 17, 2026. Notably, none of the recent analyst actions represented upgrades or downgrades — all five were reiterations of existing ratings, suggesting a period of established conviction rather than shifting sentiment. The concentration of bullish reaffirmations around mid-July coincides with the company's strong quarterly earnings beat of $1.53 above consensus, indicating fundamental results reinforced existing positive coverage positions.
